Choose Portland Japanese Garden for a visit centered on the garden landscapes in Washington Park. Choose Lan Su Chinese Garden for a Chinese scholar garden in Old Town/Chinatown. They offer different settings and cultural traditions, and their locations make a difference to the rest of your day.
Before buying either ticket, check three things: the spaces you most want to see, the route your group can comfortably use, and the journey from your previous stop. A small difference in admission price can matter less than a difficult transfer or an inaccessible part of the visit.
This is a researched planning comparison. The prices and booking details below were checked on October 21, 2026; they aren’t a record of prices on this article’s archive date.
Start with the setting
Portland Japanese Garden occupies 12.5 acres and includes eight garden styles. Its Washington Park hillside setting is part of the planning decision, as well as part of the landscape. Think about whether you’d like this to anchor a park visit rather than treating it as a quick stop between downtown bookings.
Lan Su describes its design as a Ming-dynasty style scholar garden. Its paths, buildings, and plantings occupy a city block. That smaller footprint gives you a different reason to visit; it doesn’t tell you how long you’ll want to spend looking at the details.
There isn’t a useful winner based on acreage. If one garden’s design is the reason you’re considering the visit, give that preference more weight than the number of stops you could fit around it.
| Planning question | Portland Japanese Garden | Lan Su Chinese Garden |
|---|---|---|
| Where does it put the day? | Washington Park, above the International Rose Test Garden | Old Town/Chinatown |
| What is the design focus? | Several Japanese garden styles across a hillside site | A Chinese scholar garden within one city block |
| What access detail needs attention? | Some garden spaces aren’t accessible by wheelchair or stroller | Ask for the access map; the teahouse’s second floor requires stairs |
| What should you check before paying? | Entry time, opening day, and exchange deadline | Selected visit day, last entry, and any separately ticketed event |
Compare the cost of the visit you actually want
On the October 21, 2026 check, standard adult admission was listed at $22.50 for Portland Japanese Garden and $18 for Lan Su. Check the operators’ current Japanese Garden admission page and Lan Su admission page for age categories, discounts, and purchase conditions.
Those listed adult prices total $40.50 for one person visiting both, before transportation, parking, food, or other purchases. That’s a planning calculation, not a package offer. If you only want one visit, compare the complete outing rather than selecting on the $4.50 admission difference alone.
Portland Japanese Garden lists advance tickets up to 10 days ahead. Its daily admission tickets are nonrefundable, with exchanges allowed up to 24 hours before the original date and time and no day-of exchanges. Its free public tour also requires daily admission and a tour booking.
Lan Su lists admission sales up to four weeks ahead for a selected daytime visit day. Those admissions don’t cover separately ticketed events, such as lantern-viewing evenings. Its sales are final and nonrefundable; the operator provides contact instructions for changed plans. Check those terms before committing a day with uncertain arrival timing.
Plan the journey to the entrance
Portland Japanese Garden’s getting-here guide identifies public metered parking and transit options. The Washington Park MAX station isn’t the garden entrance. If your route uses that station and a park shuttle, check the connection and current shuttle operation for your date.
Lan Su’s visitor FAQ identifies the Old Town Chinatown MAX stop and free, first-come parking at its Annex, with the lot entrance at 424 NW Third Avenue. A first-come lot is an option to check, not a reserved space to build a tight arrival around.
For either visit, map the last part of the trip as carefully as the ride. Include the walk from the stop or parking place, any wait for a connection, and the ticket entry arrangements. If you’re considering both gardens, plan the transfer between their entrances rather than assuming two Portland addresses make an easy pair.
Check access before choosing on size
Portland Japanese Garden’s accessibility guide explains that the whole site isn’t fully accessible. It identifies the Flat Garden, Pavilion Gallery, and Cultural Village among the accessible spaces. A free shuttle links the Welcome Center and Cultural Village, but doesn’t continue around the garden. Wheelchairs aren’t available to borrow or rent.
Lan Su’s FAQ describes an accessible route through most of the garden and an access map available at the Ticket Booth and Host Stand. It also identifies textured rock-mosaic paths and stairs to the teahouse’s second floor; the first floor is accessible. It doesn’t provide wheelchairs.
Ask the operator about the particular route and spaces your group wants to use. “Smaller” and “accessible” don’t answer the same question, and neither replaces checking the actual path.
One garden can be a complete choice
Pick the garden you most want to see, confirm that day’s entry arrangements, and give it room in the schedule. Check current opening days and last-entry rules before adding another reservation afterward.
Visit both if you want the two distinct garden experiences and the transfer fits without cutting either visit short. If the second garden would mainly satisfy a checklist, keep the time for the first. A useful itinerary leaves room to look at what brought you there.
Sources and photographs
Official visitor, admission, transport, and accessibility information from Portland Japanese Garden and Lan Su Chinese Garden, checked October 21, 2026. This guide doesn’t report a host visit or measured journey times. Garden photographs show Portland Japanese Garden; the planning photograph is illustrative. Neither garden’s appearance, opening arrangements, or visitor experience is guaranteed for a future date.
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